Volume 7

OBSESSION

Obsession: a fixation in the form of a thought or behavior that is intrusive, unpreventable, or inescapable. Obsessions can take many forms, including a belief, a habit, a goal, or an idea. Obsession could also be construed as a state of being.

BODY

Does a person have control over an obsession or is a person controlled by it? How does obsession compel, or at the very least, motivate certain actions or behaviors? Perhaps consider the ways in which body image and a societal fixation on youth and beauty contribute to obsessiveness. You are invited to engage with obsession as both an intrinsic and extrinsic force, whether as obsession with the body or as obsession within the body.

DEATH

At what point does the individual desire for self-preservation become an obsession with cheating death? Does the “quest for immortality” represent a noble pursuit which gives life meaning or is it a delusion which only distracts from the inevitability of death? How does the societal preoccupation with death and dying influence media, culture, and literature?

MIND

The roots of obsession begin in the mind, manifesting either as persistent, intrusive thoughts or feelings, or as a singular, overriding fixation on an object. Consider the idea of the one-track mind, the conscious or unconscious nature of an obsession, and how the mind distinguishes it from passion. What powers an obsession? Can it be stopped or controlled? When the mind is consumed by an obsession, what are the consequences? What of the mind or of the person is left when obsession takes its hold?

TIME

While time is largely perceived as a linear phenomenon, it actually has been shown to be a relative experience. Are there individual or cultural obsessions with making time, having enough time, or finding time? Is time itself the subject of obsession? Does time lead to obsessiveness? Do people have fixations with living in a certain time frame, such as past, present, or future? You may consider the relationships between nostalgia, obsession, and time.

SPACE

Why do humans attribute significant value and meaning to particular places and not others? What makes a place a desirable tourist or travel destination? Why are humans fascinated or obsessed with particular spaces and/or places? Why do we find it necessary to embark on pilgrimages to specific destinations? What role does aesthetics play in evoking fascination with a place? Alternatively, being immeasurably large, space is often labeled the final frontier. In what ways does man’s enthusiasm for exploring outer space and the natural world reflect upon a deeper obsession with finding answers and purpose in the universe?